Connect. Learn. Grow. (CLG) Workshop Series provides richer and deeper level of information and advice beyond our regular orientation. Often times international students and scholars are overwhelmed by so much information they get during orientation period, and many pieces of valuable information may get lost. IHouse offers international students and scholars further opportunities to learn how to navigate their life at Duke and in Durham.

Fall 2016 schedule (Thursdays 5:00 pm ~ 6:00 pm)

9/1 What’s Going On Here? – American Values

9/8 Race - An American Framework. Inquiry and Dialogue

9/15 Muslims in America

9/22 Women’s Roles & Rights in the U.S. from the 1800s to 2016

9/29 Politics in the U.S. & Presidential Election

10/6 Diversity Issues in the U.S.

10/10 Day Trip (location TBD)

(This is a tentative schedule which is subject to change if needed)

We are looking for a volunteer who will write a blog post for IHouse after attending our CLG workshops. If you are interested in contributing, please email SangHee Jeong at sj44@duke.edu including the workshop you want to attend and write about.

If you need more information about a specific CLG topic, please keep an eye on the IHouse announcements on our Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/Duke.IHouse). If you have ideas for new topics, please let us know. Contact I-House at ihouse@duke.edu for more information.

The Duke Language Partners program matches non-native speakers with native speakers of various languages for weekly conversation exchange. You can meet with your language partner anytime depending on your schedules, but we recommend you to meet at least once a week. Through the program, you can practice a foreign language, learn about another culture and gain language-tutoring experience as well. Please email Sanghee Jeong for more information.

Each Monday from 5:15 to 6:15pm, International House provides a casual, small-group setting where all members of the Duke community--students, scholars, spouses, and staff--can practice conversational English.

Topics include American culture, social systems, and issues related to daily life. Come and you will have chances to share your experience in the U.S. with others. Through discussions in small groups, you will also learn about other cultures from various countries.

Continued attendance is not necessary but recommended.

For 2016 Fall semester, the club meetings will be held from Monday, September 12 until Monday, December 5. No registration is required. Just come to International House, 300 Alexander Ave. on C2 bus route and come to the programming area through the backdoor of the house.

Are you interested in speaking the second-most spoken and studied language in the United States? Practice your conversation Spanish and meet people from around the world, including native Spanish speakers. Our conversations are informal and interesting.

Every Monday from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at International House. For more information, contact Luis Vergara.

The International Friends Program pairs incoming internationals with locals to promote friendship and culture exchange. Local citizens may wish to learn more about another country, reconnect with a country in which they have lived or traveled, or assist someone settling in to life in Durham. Internationals may wish to learn about U.S. and local culture, customs, traditions and daily life.

Applicants are matched based on interests. Participants must commit to continuing their partnership for one academic year. Friends are expected to meet for at least 3 times per semester.

We have the opportunity to learn about people and cultures from all over the world since we have international students, scholars, and spouses from over 107 countries here at Duke.

This series runs every Spring!

In this series of presentations, international spouses will share their culture, religious customs, cuisine, arts, and history with you. We will attempt to represent diverse cultures through different speakers each month.

Crossroads Student Advisory Committee is on hiatus for Academic Year 2016 - 2017.

What is the Crossroads Student Advisory Council?
The Crossroads Student Advisory Council (CSAC) is comprised of first-year students from diverse communities with an interest in bridging the cultural gap between domestic and international students at Duke.

We have biweekly open dialogues about issues pertaining to Duke’s campus as well as discussions focusing on personal identity including cultural backgrounds and experiences.

Through these dialogues, guest speakers, panels, and interactive activities, students will gain a richer understanding and foster an appreciation for the similarities and differences amongst members of the Duke community.

Who should apply? First-year undergraduate students who are interested in:
• Bridging the gaps between domestic and international students
• Incorporating diverse perspectives into their university experience
• Connecting with other first-year students from various backgrounds

Expected Outcomes:
As a result of participating in CSAC, students will:
• Develop a sense of community with other first-year students
• Hear, explain, and discuss issues pertinent to the campus climate
• Connect to resources on campus

Find Your Voice is a full-day retreat for Asian female students who want to reflect on the challenges they are facing at Duke and find their own voice to be their own true self.

The retreat will be held on Saturday, Nov 5, 2016 in a retreat center within 30 min drive from Duke. We will leave Duke at 9am in a van and will be back to campus by 7:00pm.

Some highlights of the retreat include reflection on current feeling, sharing experiences/thoughts, having an Asian female faculty member for a group advising/Q&A session, and training on boosting confidence.

Engaging with international students and helping them acclimate to American culture is a great asset for domestic students’ professional and leadership development. Expanding your knowledge about other cultures and navigating how to socialize and work with people of different cultural backgrounds is a valuable learning experience, especially in an increasingly globalized job market.

International House, in collaboration with the Career Center, has developed the Global Engagement Program to provide domestic students with beneficial interactions with international students and scholars at Duke, and to prepare them to be true global citizens who make positive impacts around them.

In the Global Engagement Program, selected students will be involved in International House educational activities for a semester and receive training on cross-cultural awareness and communication, as well as career and leadership development. Upon successful completion of the program, students will get a certificate that is officially endorsed by International House and the Career Center, which can be used to strengthen their resume.

Participation in Other IHouse Programs:
Students will commit to a three-hour per week participation for a semester from among the options below:

Duke Language Partner Program (1 hour/week): Help your language partner to learn English or other native language you might be able to offer. You can schedule with your language partner when to meet.

Conversation Club (Mondays 5:15-6:15 pm): Lead small group discussions on American culture and social system. You can also learn about many aspects of other cultures through this conversation club.

Spanish Conversation Hour (Mondays 6:30-7:30 pm): Learn Spanish language with a native speaker, or help other participants learn Spanish if it is your native language.

Chinese Conversation Club (Tuesdays 5:15-6:15 pm): Practice Chinese and learn about the culture, or help other participants learn Chinese if it is your native language.

Global Café (Fridays 9:30-10:30 am): Join us for good coffee, pastry and casual conversations with people from all over the world.

Give a presentation on American Culture at Connect.Learn.Grow workshop series for internationals at Duke.

Training Component:
There will be three training sessions offered in Global Engagement Program (GEP).

Global Awareness Training (mid January, 2017): Participants will have an opportunity to assess their intercultural competency. After the training, they will keep a journal reflecting on their experience with people from other cultures, which will be reviewed in the last training session.

Career and Leadership Development with Global Perspectives (early March, 2017): The Career Center and University Center Activities and Events will each deliver a career counseling/training session and a leadership session tailored for the GEP participants.

Global Engagement Action Plan (late April, 2017): Participants will reflect on and share their experiences. They will identify their strengths and weaknesses, and make an action plan to be more open engaging global professionals.

Upon successful completion of GEP, participants will receive an official recognition for their work and a certificate endorsed by both International House and the Career Center.

How to Apply & Selection Timeline:
Please submit your resume and a letter of interest to SangHee Jeong at sanghee.jeong@duke.edu. The application deadline is extended for graduate students to November 6th, 2016.

Expected Outcomes
Through this program, domestic students will be able to:

Deepen their leadership and global social skills by interacting with people from various countries and helping them understand American culture and social structures for a sustained period time.

Increase their knowledge of other cultures and social organizations, preferably including other languages as well.

Understand and adopt pluralism in their life - recognizing different perspectives arising from various cultural backgrounds, which can be especially valuable when applied to their future professional and personal relationships.

Demonstrate their ability to abide by strong work ethics through the GEP required commitment of at least one semester with a three-hour per week schedule.

Strengthen their resume with a strong service and civic/global engagement component, demonstrated by the GEP Certificate.

This program is for you if you:

Are open-minded to other cultures and willing to learn from interacting with international students and scholars

Would like to expand your career options with global perspectives and exposure to cross-cultural experiences

Want to prepare yourself before going abroad through DukeEngage or Study Abroad programs

Want to continue your global experience and keep the foreign language skills you have obtained abroad

Enjoy cultural diversity and are seeking opportunities for global engagement within Duke and Durham

International Education Week (November 17-21, 2014) is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare students for the global environment as well as attract students and scholars from around the world to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

Duke will host a variety of events to celebrate International Education Week:

International Movie Night screening of Crossing Borders-Thursday, November 207:00pm at the International House

Crossing Borders is a 70-minute documentary that follows four Moroccan and four American university students as they travel together through Morocco and, in the process of discovering "The Other," discover themselves. With group travels and frank discussions, the students confront the complex implications of the supposed "clash of civilizations" between Islam and the West. The relationships formed through shared experiences contrast sharply with the media-shaped views Americans and Muslims have of each other. Humor, honesty and a willingness to be challenged all bring individuals closer to each other and the relationships that develop disarm hidden stereotypes.

International Movie Night is hosted by International House and the Libraries.

Global Café-Friday, November 21, 9:30am at International House

Join the Duke community for coffee from around the world and delicious pastries.

What is an International House Orientation Peer (IHOP)?
IHOPs are undergraduate students with an interest in meeting new students from all over the world and helping them acclimate to life at Duke. IHOPs assist in planning and facilitating the International Orientation. Approximately 200 students attend International Orientation from over 70 countries.